Rafa Cabrera Bello

Exempt status

• PGA TOUR: Top 125 in 2018-19 FedExCup standings (thru 2019-20)

International Victories (5)

• 2006 MAN NO Open [EurChall]
• 2008 Credit Suisse Challenge [EurChall]
• 2009 Austrian Golf Open [Eur]
• 2012 Dubai Desert Classic [Eur]
• 2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open [Eur]

National Teams

• 2016 Ryder Cup
• 2016 Olympic Games
• 2013, 2016 World Cup

Personal

• Began playing as a youngster, with the garden in his backyard next to a golf course in the Canary Islands.
• Studied business and economics at the University of Las Palmas but didn't graduate when his professional career took off.
• His younger sister Emma plays on the Ladies European Tour.
• Interests include surfing, fitness and photography.

Special Interests

• Reading, water sports, soccer, skiing

Career Highlights

2019 Season

Qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs and advanced to the BMW Championship for the third time in as many seasons on TOUR, ending the season at No. 70 in the FedExCup standings. Did not compete in THE NORTHERN TRUST, the first of three FedExCup Playoffs events, electing to stay home with wife, Sofia, for the birth of their first child. Earned a pair of top-10s, both T3s, and 17 cuts in 19 starts.

• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: Finished T3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in his tournament debut. As the first-round leader following a 7-under 65, made his lone bogey of the final round at No. 18 to close with 3-under 69. Marked his third T3 in stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR (2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational, 2018 THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, 2018 WGC-Mexico Championship).
• THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES: Carded a 7-under 65 with birdies on each of the last four holes of the final round to finish in a tie for third at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES.

2018 Season

Advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs for the second time, ending his season at No. 41 in the FedExCup. Season included 18 made cuts in 20 starts, led by a T3 at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship (one of five top-10s).

• Dell Technologies Championship: Recorded his fifth top-10 of the season with T7 finish at the Dell Technologies Championship. Briefly took a share of the lead during the final round after seven birdies and a bogey on his first 11 holes, but dropped three shots over the last six holes.
• PGA Championship: Following an even-par 70 in round one at Bellerive Country Club, posted scores of 68-69-64 to finish T10 with Tyrrell Hatton at 9-under 271. Paired together on Sunday, both posted bogey-free 6-under 64s, tying the day's low round with Tiger Woods. Were two of just three players to play Sunday's final round with no bogeys (Francesco Molinari).
• World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship: Tied his career-best finish in a World Golf Championships event with a T3 at the WGC-Mexico Championship. Carded an eagle-2 on the par-4 first hole and three birdies in the final six holes.
• World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions: Finished T5 in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions with four rounds of par or better for his second-career top-five finish at a WGC event.
• CIMB Classic: Making his first start of the season, recorded his second top-10 in as many starts at the CIMB Classic, a T10 finish.

2017 Season

Made the cut in 13 of 19 starts during the 2016-17 season, with four top-10 finishes. Ended the season No. 61 in the FedExCup standings. On the European Tour, notched his first victory since 2012 at the Scottish Open in a playoff.

• BMW Championship: Advanced all the way to the third FedExCup Playoffs event, with his season ending following a T33 at the BMW Championship at Conway Farms.
• Dell Technologies Championship: With his T18 finish at the Dell Technologies Championship, joined Emiliano Grillo and Stewart Cink as player who moved from outside the top 70 to inside that number (No. 60) to advance to the BMW Championship.
• The Open Championship: Finished T4 in his attempt to join Phil Mickelson (2013) as the only players to win the Scottish Open and Open Championship back-to-back in the same season. The finish marked his first top-10 finish in a major championship.
• Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open: Won his first European Tour event in over five years as he claimed the fourth Rolex Series event of the season at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. Had finished second six times since his win at the 2012 Dubai Desert Classic but overcame Callum Shinkwin in a playoff at Dundonald Links to win his third title. Posted a course-record final-round 64 to get to 13-under. A bogey from Shinkwin on the last allowed for a sudden-death playoff, where a stellar second shot into the par-5 18th set up a tournament-clinching birdie.
• FedEx St. Jude Classic: Held a share of the 54-hole lead in his first start at the FedEx St. Jude Classic after rounds of 70-66-65 and total putts of 27, 25, 23 in the first three rounds. Marked his second lead/co-lead after any round on the PGA TOUR. Finished T4 after a final-round 71.
• THE PLAYERS Championship: Made history during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship when he became the first player to record a double eagle at the par-5 No. 16, just the third double eagle at TPC Sawgrass. Began the final round five strokes back, but finished T4 in his second start in THE PLAYERS.
• ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf: Finished T8 at the ISPS HANDA World Cup with teammate Jon Rahm on the Spain team at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Australia in late-November.
• CIMB Classic: Posted four sub-par scores at TPC Kuala Lumpur in October to claim a share of 10th place at the CIMB Classic at 13-under 275.

2016 Season

Splitting time between the European Tour and PGA TOUR, collected five top-25 finishes in 10 starts on the TOUR, of which three were top-10 showings to earn 2016-17 TOUR card via top 125 non-member list. Through three starts in the 2015-16 season, earned enough non-member FedExCup points (404) to be eligible for Special Temporary Membership on the PGA TOUR. Needed to earn more than the player who finished No. 150 on the 2014-15 FedExCup points list (361/Cameron Percy).

• Ryder Cup: Making his first-ever start at the Ryder Cup, went 2-0-1 in his three matches in the European team's 17-11 loss to the United States in the biennial event. Was the only European without a loss at Hazeltine.
• Wyndham Championship: Just six days removed from his T5 finish at the Olympic Games in Rio (one of seven players who made the journey from Rio to the Wyndham Championship), posted a T5 at the Wyndham Championship. Shared the first-round lead with Kevin Na after a bogey-free 7-under 63, which included five birdies and one eagle.
• Olympic Men's Golf Competition: Represented Spain when golf returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1904 in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Finished T5 in the 60-man field.
• 100th Open de France: In July on the European Tour, finished fourth at the French Open.
• Shell Houston Open: Playing on a sponsor invitation, finished fourth at the Shell Houston Open in his first appearance at the Golf Club of Houston and his 24th career PGA TOUR start. Played his last 40 holes without a bogey.
• World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play: Reached the semifinals of the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play, losing 4 and 3 to eventual runner-up Louis Oosthuizen. Defeated Rory McIlroy, 3 and 2, to win the consolation match for his best PGA TOUR finish. His check for $660,000 was the biggest of his career. His play in Austin guaranteed him a spot in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, earning his Masters debut.
• Omega Dubai Desert Classic: Finished T2 at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
• Commercial Bank Qatar Masters: Finished T2 at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
• Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship: Began 2016 on the European Tour with a T14 finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

2015 Season

• KLM Open: Finished T7 in mid-September at the KLM Open. Finish was a disappointment, though, as he held a share of the 54-hole lead with Lee Slattery at Kennemer G&CC in the Netherlands. A final-round, 1-over 71 dropped him into a tie with Magnus Carlsson and Mikko Korhonen, four shots short of winner Thomas Pieters.
• Alstom Open de France: Contended again in early July, at the Open de France, where he came up short, finishing fifth at Le Golf National. Shot a final-round, 3-under 69 to earn the top-five.
• Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity: Made a valiant run at victory in mid-June on the European Tour, at the Lyoness Open in Atzenbrugg, Austria. Began the final round two shots behind 54-hole leader Gregory Bourdy after opening 69-68-66 at Diamond CC. Could only muster an even-par 72 on a day Bourdy shot a 78. Watched as Chris Wood came from five off the pace, shooting a final-round 67 to capture the win, leaving him in solo second, two shots behind Wood.
• Dubai Duty Free Irish Open: Finished T4 with four others in late-May at the European Tour's Irish Open.
• Puerto Rico Open: Recorded his first career PGA TOUR top-10 (T10), turning in the feat at the Puerto Rico Open (previous-best was T17 at the 2013 World Golf Championships-Cadillac Match Play). The finish marked his second start at Trump International GC (T24 in 2014).

2014 Season

Played in five PGA TOUR events, including two major championships.

• DP World Tour Championship: Held the 54-hole lead at the European Tour's season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. Stumbled badly late in his round, finishing at 3-over 75 that dropped in him into a T9 with Branden Grace and Joost Luiten, five shots short of winner Henrik Stenson at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
• PGA Championship: Finished 73rd at the PGA Championship.
• The Open Championship: Missed the cut at The Open Championship.
• BMW International Open: Opened with an 8-under 64 at the BMW International Open then followed with rounds of 68-70-67 to get into a playoff with Fabrizio Zanotti, Gregory Havret and Henrik Stenson at GC Gut Larchenhof in Koln, Germany. Eliminated from the extra session on the fourth playoff hole when he couldn't match Stenson and Zanotti's pars to record the T2 finish.
• Nordea Masters: Four par-or-better rounds at the Nordea Masters led to a T9 in Sweden.
• Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com: Best finish was a T24 at the Puerto Rico Open in March.
• The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters: Held the third-round lead at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in late-January. Played well in the final round, shooting a 3-under 69. But he watched as Sergio Garcia and Mikko Ilonen both shot 69s to leave him one shot out of the duo's playoff. He finished T3 with Thorbjorn Olesen.
• ABU Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship: Shot a third-round 73 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship but recovered with a Sunday 68 at Abu Dhabi GC to finish T4, two strokes behind winner Pablo Larrazabal.

2013 Season

• BMW Masters: Was T8 in late-October in Shanghai, China, at the BMW Masters. Took the 54-hole lead after a 5-under 67 in the third round but stumbled to a 1-over 73 on the final day at Lake Malaren GC.
• Volvo Golf Champions: Earned his first top-10 of the season with a T9 at the Volvo Golf Champions in South Africa in mid-January.

2012 Season

• BMW Italian Open: Finished solo-ninth in September at the BMW Italian Open in Turin.
• Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles: Earned a top-10 at the Johnnie Walker Championship in late August. Was T10 at The Gleneagles Hotel.
• Irish Open: Thanks to a seven-birdie, one-bogey, final-round 66 at the Irish Open, he moved up the leaderboard to finish solo second, four strokes behind Jamie Donaldson at Royal Portrush GC.
• Volvo World Match Play Championship: Finished T3 at the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain in May. Lost in the semifinals to Graeme McDowell.
• Maybank Malaysian Open: Finished five strokes off the pace at the Maybank Malaysian Open in April to T3 in Kuala Lumpur
• Omega Dubai Desert Classic: Opened with a 63 at the Dubai Desert Classic then hung on for a one-stroke victory on the European Tour, his first since winning the Austrian Open in 2009. His final-round 68 was enough to edge Stephen Gallacher and Lee Westwood, who both had putts to force a playoff but couldn't convert. The victory moved him from 119th place in the Official World Golf Ranking to 60th, which was enough to get him an invitation to his first World Golf Championships tournament, the Accenture Match Play Championship.

2011 Season

Had a couple of near misses during the season during a year that saw him make it to the weekend 23 of 33 times and closing in 30th position on the European Tour Order of Merit.

• Portugal Masters: Was a runner-up at the Portugal Masters. After opening 69-65-64 to hold a one-stroke lead over Felipe Aguilar and Christian Nilsson entering the final round, shot a Sunday 65 and watched as Tom Lewis passed him for the win at Oceanico Victoria GC.
• The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters: Earlier in the year, at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, opened with a 5-over 77 at Doha GC before rebounding with a final 54-hole score of 14-under to finish T3, five strokes behind winner Thomas Bjorn.

2010 Season

• BMW International Open: Top showing came at the BMW International Open, where he T3, two strokes behind winner David Horsey in Munich, Germany. Opened with a 1-under 71 then fired rounds of 67-66-68 to move up the leaderboard.
• U.S. Open Championship: Made his first start in a major, made the cut at the U.S. Open. Began the tournament with a 70 at Pebble Beach GL then followed with rounds of 75-81-72 to T47.

2009 Season

Split his time between the European Challenge Tour and the European Tour. Recorded four top-10 finishes and made the cut in 20 of 33 starts. Finished 39th on the Order of Merit.

• Dunhill Links Championship: Was T4 at the Dunhill Links Championship.
• Austrian Golf Open: Highlight of the season came when he won his first European Tour title, at the Austrian Golf Open. After opening the Austrian Golf Open with a 71-67-66, he was tied for seventh, eight strokes behind 54-hole leader Benn Barham. Shot a final-round 60 at the par-71 Fontana GC in Vienna to edge Barham by a stroke.
• Ballentine's Championship: Was T4 at the Ballantine's Championship.

2008 Season

In 10 European Tour starts, made five cuts. Waited until his last start of the campaign to pick up his lone top-10.

• Dunhill Championship: Opened his season with a T4 at the Dunhill Championship in December 2008 in South Africa after shooting a pair of 68s on the weekend at Leopard Creek GC.
• Apulia San Domenico Grand Final: Finished the season with a solo-fourth at the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final.
• Madrid Masters: Finished T10 at the Madrid Masters. Recovered from an opening 74 to shoot consecutive rounds of 68-66-67.
• Ypsilon Golf Challenge by Alex Cejka: Lost in a playoff at the Ypsilon Golf Challenge by Alex Cejka in the Czech Republic. Entered the playoff with Branden Grace and Seve Benson, a playoff Benson would win.
• Credit Suisse Challenge: Won his second Challenge Tour crown, taking the Credit Suisse Challenge in July. Edged Gary Lockerbie by two strokes in Switzerland.
• Tusker Kenya Open: Was T3 at the Tusker Kenya Open in March.

2007 Season

Played a complete European Tour season and struggled in his rookie year.

2006 Season

• New Zealand Open: Top finish was a T18 in his second start of the campaign, at the Blue Chip New Zealand Open.
• Rolex Trophy: Was T4 at the Rolex Trophy.
• Man No Open: Won his first event as a professional, taking the European Challenge Tour's MAN No Open in Ramsau, Austria. He entered the final round with a four-stroke lead over Niki Zitny and hung on for a two-shot win at Adamstal GC.
• Parco di Monza Challenge: Was T3 early in the year, at the Parco di Monza Challenge. Shot a final-round 65 to move up nine spots on the leaderboard.

2005 Season

• Canarias Professional Championship: Won the 2005 Canarias Professional Championship (as an amateur) in his native Spain.

2004 Season

• Maybank Malaysian Open: Was T4 at the Maybank Malaysian Open.

2002 Season

• Open de Espana: Made his European Tour debut at the Open de Espana. Was within striking distance of Sergio Garcia but shot a final-round 73 to finish T4, a distant six strokes behind Garcia.

Amateur Highlights

• Began playing golf at age 6 and won the Spanish National Championship every year from age 7 to age 18.